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Court Sends Kogi Gov’s Nephew To Prison Over Alleged N10.3b Fraud

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4 years ago

December 16, 2022

Ireporteronline

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Court Sends Kogi Gov’s Nephew To Prison Over Alleged N10.3b Fraud

Kogi State Governor nephew

Ali Bello, the nephew of Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello, has been ordered to remain in Kuje jail in Abuja by the Federal High Court.
Bello and his co-defendant, Dauda Sulaiman, were ordered to remain in jail pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho in a decision on Thursday.

According to a statement by the spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, Justice Omotosho gave the order shortly after they pleaded not guilty to a 10-count charge in which the two were accused of misappropriating and laundering N10, 270,556,800 allegedly taken from the treasury of the Kogi State Government.

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Bello and Sulaiman are alleged to have worked with the Cahier of Kogi State House Administration, Abdulsalami Hudu, (now at large) to withdraw the N10, 270,556,800 from the Kogi State treasury, which they allegedly delivered to a Bureau de Change operator, Rabiu Tafada in Abuja to keep or change to foreign currencies for personal gains.

A count in the charge reads: “That you, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalami Hudu (now at large) between

January and December, 2021, in Abuja procured Rabiu Usman Tafada to take possession of the total sum of N5,865,756,800 (which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: criminal misappropriation from the treasury of Kogi State and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (c), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

Another count reads: “That you, Ali Bello, Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalami Hudu (now at large) between January and December 2021, in Abuja aided Rabiu Usman Tafada to retain the total sum of N2,509,650,000.00 which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: Criminal Misappropriation from the treasury of Kogi State Government and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a) 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

After the defendants entered a plea of not guilty, the prosecution’s attorney, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), requested that the court set a date for the trial to begin.

Abdulwahab Mohammed (SAN), the defense attorney, notified the court of the bail application he had submitted for his clients and afterwards moved.